At Minimum, Each American Should Be Bilingual: Spoken Language and Technology

As twenty-first century Americans, our corner of the world cannot function without technology and all of the benefits that come along with it. Computers have been integrated into first grade classrooms, twelve-year-olds boast Blackberry’s, and medical records are being transformed into a digital medium. In order to live in this technology-crazed society, one must possess digital literacy. According to Cornell Information Technologies, digital literacy is “the ability to find, evaluate, utilize, and create information using digital technology.” This definition encompasses the reality that we must live in each and every day.

A digitally illiterate individual is subject to communication barriers. Illinois University says that in order to be digitally literate and therefore communicate effectively, “a person [must have the] ability to perform tasks effectively in a digital environment…and apply new knowledge gained from digital environments.” The key is the lessons learned and adaptations made from living in a digital world. Many of us go through daily life with only surface knowledge of how to use relatively simple digital tools. For example, we create an e-mail, yet have no idea how the process of sending and receiving the message actually works. We must also acknowledge that “technology is changing faster than society is”, and therefore presents challenges to the structure of American life (CIT). “The rules of appropriate behavior in these digital contexts may be unknown or unknowable” (CIT). For these reasons, each individual needs to make an effort to be well-informed and fluent in the digital language that is modern America.

Works Cited:

"Digital Literacy Definitions and Resources." Illinois University Library. Ed. Sarah Hieltness. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 15 Oct. 2008. Web. 14 Jan. 2010. .

"What Is Digital Literacy?" Cornell University Digital Literacy Resource. Ed. Tracy Mitrano. Cornell Information Technologies, 2009. Web. 14 Jan. 2010. .

A Stipulative Definition of Digital Literacy

Digital literacy is the confident and critical use of technology. It is the ability to perform tasks in a digital environment. The 20^th and 21^st centuries have experienced extreme technological progress. It is very difficult to find a field or aspect of human society that has not yet integrated technology within it. According to the article What is Digital Literacy? , “Digital literacy has become an essential life skill which, if absent or underdeveloped, becomes a barrier to social integration and personal development”. Without digital literacy, one would not be able to assess, manage, evaluate or create information using digital resources; all necessary skills to be able to function in the contemporary educational and working environments.

The developed world has become so dependent on technology, that it can be said that digital literacy can replace the single word literacy. According to Connecting the Dots: Literacy of the 21^st Century, prior to the 21’st century literacy would separate the educated from the uneducated. Furthermore those who do not understand technology approach it in a manner comparable to how most people approach a foreign language; and they are never able to fully integrate into this new digital society. Therefore it is very important that teachers find ways to integrate technology into education, as without it, students will find it very difficult to be competitive in whatever field they choose to pursue. Digital literacy is the literacy of the 21^st century and has become a necessary aspect of everyone’s lives.

Works cited:

Jones-Kavalier, Barbara R., and Suzanne L. Flannigan. "Connecting the Digital Dots: Literacy of the 21st Century (EDUCAUSE Quarterly) | EDUCAUSE." What is EDUCAUSE? | EDUCAUSE. Web. 14 Jan. 2010. .

Hilding-Hamann, Knud E. "What is Digital Literacy." Digital Literacy. Web. 14 Jan. 2010.

Digital Literacy

It is essential for people of all ages to become more digitally literate, to enhance their education of the digital world and to become more familiar and comfortable with innovated technologies. Throughout the past two decades, technology has completely changed our society. We have gone from typewriter to computer, from mobile phones to Blackberrys, and from wired to wireless. Virtually everything we do is done through the virtual world. In order to stay up to date with all the newest technologies and practices one must be well versed in the digital world, one must be digitally literate. In “The Mandate of Digital Literacy” Charles W.P. Finn defines digital literacy as, “A means for ascertaining the computer skills competency of an individual to function in the workplace. It will become increasingly necessary to be digitally literate to function in a digital, Internet-connected economy.” Those who cannot be sufficiently digitally literate will cease to exist in advanced work places.

Due to its importance, it is never too soon to begin children’s education of digital literacy. In “Investigating Children’s Emerging Digital Literacies,” Harouna Ba defines digital literacy as, “a set of habits through which children use computer technology for learning, work, socializing, and fun.” Today’s children are tomorrow’s future and they must be well versed in the current technologies in order to succeed in the competitive world. It is essential that digital education, such as blogs and online education, be implemented in the school systems so that we have a world of fully competent, digitally literate citizens.

Works Cited

Ba, Harouna, Tally Willam, Tsikalas, Kallen. “Investigating Children’s Emerging Digital Literacies.” The Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment. Aug. 2002. http://escholarship.bc.edu/jtla/vol1/4/

Finn, Charles W.P. “The Mandate of Digital Literacy.” Tech & Learning. Aug. 1 2004. http://www.techlearning.com/article/2602

Digital Literacy

Digital Literacy is the ability to use technology with high competence. Over the past few decades’ technology has found more frequent and common use in everyday life. It is almost impossible to go anywhere without seeing a computer or a cell phone being used. Technology now has a permanent place in society and with it comes a new form of literacy. In order for people to use this technology they need to able to understand it, navigate it, and use it with ease. For a person to be literate, they need to understand hundreds of areas of technology which range from computers to cell phones, software to PDA’s and everything in-between. But just knowing this is still not enough. Technology is not a static thing, it is always changing, advancing, and becoming more powerful and users need to be able to adapt to these changes without problems. To be fully digital literate is to be able to use past, present, and future technologies with no issues

Digital Literacy is important in many different fields. One such field is education. From writing papers to doing research, technology has been the first choice for students and educators for getting the job done. But if the user is unable to use the technology, then there is no hope for getting the work done. The same goes for business fields and society in a whole. Not being able to use the digital world will leave the user at an extreme disadvantage. All parts of society require some digital literacy, even if it’s as simple as playing a DVD. Technology is a global language and digital literacy is the key to be able to speak it.

Defining Digital Literacy

As a society, human beings ceaselessly strive towards perfection. The central focus of society has always been continual improvement. It is therefore with little surprise the amount of improvement that has been made over the past century regarding communication. Communication has drastically changed from tangible letters to digital emails, bulky telephones to sleek wireless cellular devices, and concrete newspapers to electronic magazines. This continuous transformation that communication is making from physical to digital creates an important necessity, the requirement for digital literacy.

Although relatively new, digital literacy is required in order to acclimate with a developing, technology-savvy society. Digital literacy conjures multiple definitions, its most primitive being “a person’s ability to perform tasks effectively in a digital environment” (Jones-Kavalier, Flannigan), being able to utilize email, the internet, and other technological procedures that have become commonplace. It is intertwined with literacy in that in includes “the ability to read and interpret media”(Jones-Kavalier, Flannigan) but it introduces the “digital environment” (Aharon, Eshet-Alkalai), an environment that can be intimidating to some but embraced by the majority. The need to be digitally literate is only increasing throughout education, entertainment, and the workplace. It can be hypothesized that the requirement for digital literacy will only escalate with time, and those denying this requirement will fall further away from the mainstream of a digital society.

Sources Cited:

Jones-Kavalier, Barbara R., and Suzanne L. Flannigan. "Connecting the Digital Dots: Literacy of the 21st Century." Educause Quarterly N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2010.

Aviram, Aharon, and Yoram Eshet-Alkalai. "Towards a Theory of Digital Literacy: Three Scenarios for The Next Steps." European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2010.

Digital Literacy Definition

New technology is constantly popping up everywhere, to the point that it has changed our lives dramatically. With all of these new resources, it is important to have the skills to use them efficiently. These skills can be referred to collectively as digital literacy. More specifically, the Free Dictionary defines digital literacy as "The ability to understand computer-based information." The definition from the Digital Strategy's Glossary of key terms covers a wider variety of tasks, calling digital literacy, "The ability to use digital technology, communication tools, or networks to locate, evaluate, use and create information."

These are certainly adequate definitions, but digital literacy may also take on a definition specific to the individual using the technology. For the typical college student, digital literacy may consist of the abilities to send emails to professors, use websites to find and register for classes, or use social networking sites to keep in touch with friends from high school. On the other hand, for an adult who works in an office building, digital literacy may mean being able to use the copy machine or fax machine along with sending emails to coworkers. You don't have to be a technological expert to be digitally literate.

The Digital Generation

Our generation is set apart by more than the mere factor of time. Older generations have started leading dual lives, a digital life as well as a normal one, but we are the first to combine the two and switch seamlessly from one to the other. While older generations haphazardly attempt to navigate even the most basic of websites, we fluidly traverse from one to the next, not even recognizing the relative complications that stop others from efficiently using the web.

Digital literacy is more than a mere understanding of the efficient use of technology and it surpasses knowledge of web-based nomenclature. Rather, it is the embracing of technology into ones life. It includes the psychological and emotional effects that having a digital life has upon us. For digital illiterates, the power of peer recognition seems almost laughable and yet, in reality, it is one of the most powerful sources on the web.

Digital Literacy......what is it?

Many jobs in the workforce today require people to use some kind of technology such as a computer, Internet, cell phone, smart boards, digital device, or a combination of them all. This requires a person to be digitally literate in order to work with such technology. What is digital literacy? According to professor David Bawden, digital literacy is a set of attitudes, understanding and skills to handle and communicate information and knowledge effectively in a variety of formats as published in Sci Topics. It can also be defined as the ability to use digital technology, communication tools or networks to locate, evaluate, use, and create information.

Being digitally literate means that chat speak is not a foreign language. It means that checking your email must be done everyday and usually more than once. Digitally literate people live in a new technological world with both exciting and efficient ways to live as well as dangers. They must beware of criminals of identity theft and problems of spyware, scams, trojans, and viruses. In the digitally literate world, spam and Macintosh Apples are no longer edible but spam may still be considered something unwanted. Those who are truly digitally literate will understand all/most terms used in the second paragraph because they are tech savvy and know how to efficiently use technology to communicate.

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